Manus VR Gloves Let You Get a Grip on Virtual Reality

It's time to get handsy. Manus VR, a virtual reality peripheral start-up, just announced that its namesake gloves are available for pre-order in Q2 with a projected ship date of Q3 2016. Priced at $250, Manus VR will be the first VR gloves for consumers.

The accessory is also compatible with the HTC Vive, as evidenced by the wrist-mounted holders for the headset's controllers. That means the gloves will work with the Vive's Lighthouse positional tracking system.

The black and red gloves feature embedded, washable electronics with a projected battery life of eight hours. Relying on haptic feedback, Manus VR will bring a realistic sensation of touch as you're exploring your chosen virtual vista. Attached via USB dongle, the company claims the gloves will only have 5 milliseconds of latency, which is fairly low in VR standards.

To help you get acclimated to your new virtual toys, Manus VR teamed with VR studio Pillow Willow to ship a demo with the gloves. Designed specifically for Manus VR, the Pillow Willow demo places wearers in a haunted house where they'll be tasked with solving puzzles through physical manipulation. Solve all the puzzles, and you'll help an orphan escape the frightening situation.

On the dawn of virtual reality going mainstream, VR accessories are going to be just as important as the actual headsets. Peripherals like Manus VR will be used to increase the level of immersion the head-mounted displays already deliver. We'll be getting a full hands-on demo of the gloves at the upcoming Game Developers Conference, so stay tuned to Tom's Guide for our first impressions.